San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and New York have all had one (or two) and this weekend it's L.A.'s turn for the Green Festival. What may sound like a crunchy, west-of the-405-Earth-Day-redux is actually a bit of an organic-occupy-wall-street-social justice-in-bougie-hemp-fabric-neighborhood-gathering... at the LA Convention Center.
5 Questions for Green Festival Organizer Laurie Kaufman
Go Eco-Awesome at Green Festival
America's largest green living event is coming to the L.A. Convention Center at the end of October. Green Festival - a project of Green America and Global Exchange - celebrates positive community solutions, local business and a ten year milestone this year. Over 25,000 attendees are expected at this year's fest.
Is AEG Lagging On Getting DTLA Stadium Project Going?
It seemed like things couldn't get going fast enough earlier this year when the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) was trying to sell Los Angeles leaders and residents on building another sports stadium at their Downtown L.A. Live campus. They gave it a name, and Angelenos the hardsell, and the hunt for an NFL team to call it home continued.
DTLA NFL Stadium Plan Moves Forward With Unanimous City Council Vote
It was a unanimous set of "aye" votes at around Noon today by the Los Angeles City Council that helped the plans to put an NFL stadium on the L.A. Live campus in Downtown L.A. to move forward.
No 3-Way: Adultcon Cancels Convention Center Porn Shows
There's so much sex at the Convention Center that one adult conference promoter has claimed it's being fucked over and is pulling out. Adultcon canceled two of its three shows slated for 2012 at the L.A. Convention Center.
BlogWorld Says So Long Sin City, Hello Los Angeles
For the first time in its (albeit brief) history, BlogWorld & New Media Expo is leaving Las Vegas, and setting up in Los Angeles. The event, which brings together blogging and tech pros from all over the internet, and the globe, will take place November 3-5 at the LA Convention Center, and, in another first, will split into two regional events, with a New York event taking place in May.
DtLA Of The Future To Be Revealed Tomorrow
Three architectural firms, including Gensler, the firm that oversaw L.A. Live development, will strut their visions for AEG's new "L.A. Events Center" with a public unveiling of proposal renderings during a a press conference at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow.
What Not to Miss at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show
The Greater Los Angeles area once again renews its passion for the automobile and welcomes back the Los Angeles Auto Show. Over the next 10 days, car manufacturers from around the world will present their latest creations, in some cases, for the first time ever.
Photos: Anime Expo 2010
The annual Anime Expo took place July 2-4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Inside the venue, thousands of pass-holders could immerse themselves in the enthralling worlds of their beloved manga and anime. But outside, amidst the skyscrapers and concrete of Downtown, the costumed attendees were almost like their own attraction, and some of our LAist Featured Photos pool contributors were there to capture the colorful fun.
Comic-Con to L.A.? Tourism Officials Launch Facebook Page
Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Diego are all vying to get Comic-Con. Whoever wins out will reap financial benefits from the massively big and popular convention dedicated to all things action, nerdy and sexy. Filled hotel rooms, full restaurants and more mean good things for L.A.'s job force and sales taxes. Curbed LA notes that a Facebook fan page has been set up for people to show their support. Anaheim has one, too.
Villaraigosa Visits City Council, Some Decisions Are Made
"There just aren't unlimited options here," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the L.A. City Council when he visited for a two-hour Q&A session. "We can't continue to say no to everything. We can't say no to layoffs, no to furloughs, no to department eliminations. . . . The fact is we can't sustain this business model."
Will the City Part Ways with the Zoo, Animal Shelters & Convention Center?
With a $98-million deficit still on the books for this fiscal year--a $408 million shortfall is predicted next year--Los Angeles city officials are likely going to be looking at more ways to balance the budget. In the past, we've all experienced these cuts with higher parking meter rates, more expensive parking tickets and the continuing loss of city services as 2,400 employees retire early with positions not being replaced, to name a few.
Greuel Releases 1st Audit, Finding Convention Center in Need of Many Fixes
In her first audit since taking office as City Controller, Wendy Greuel this morning released findings about waste within the Los Angeles Convention Center. There's nothing catastrophic revealed in the audit, but it points out too many examples of lax oversight that cost taxpayers money.
Gruel to Release 1st Audit Since Taking Office, Will it Kick Ass?
City Controller Wendy Greuel's first audit, to be released tomorrow morning, will focus in on the city's convention center, which is said to have a $1 billion impact on the region each year. Former Controller Laura Chick, now keeping an eye on stimulus money spending statewide, always found the most ridiculous wasteful spending practices around city hall, garnering major headlines almost every time an audit was released. It will be interesting to see Greuel's results, but all signs point towards some solid findings. In a media advisory, her office hints towards opportunities to make things more efficient not taken by leadership, a lack of policy on fee waivers and lack of oversight on employee overtime, including one employee who made nearly twice their annual salary in overtime.
How to Eat and Drink Like You've Just Won an Emmy
Anyone pretty much the world over can turn on their television on Sunday September 20th and watch the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. And even though Los Angeles is a company town, not everyone has a ticket to the show, which means once the show is over, only those on the guest list will get to head over to the Governor's Ball. The Emmy folks (that's the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, to be precise) have been busy planning this massive affair, and gave members of the media a sneak peak at the design and food and drink that will be enjoyed by the ball's attendees come Emmy night in L.A.
The Downtown Streetcar: Conceptual Routes Released
Plans for a streetcar in downtown moved ahead today when conceptual routes were released by Los Angeles Streetcar, Inc. (LASI), the nonprofit charged with giving Los Angeles a streetcar by 2014. The routes all serve three distinct areas.
40' Semi Truck Drives Off Side of Freeway Overpass
While most of you were leaving the bars, or drifting into a deep sleep, some poor soul crashed his 18-wheeler down from the freeway fatally ejecting 1 person from the cab of the truck, and smashing at least two cars into smithereens.
Smiley's 'State of the Black Union' Hears From Obama
Los Angeles-based PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley hosted the State of the Black Union today at the Convention Center. On this, the last day of Black History Month--in the same year an African-American man took the Presidential oath--thousands of people gathered to take part in the event that "was created to educate, enlighten and empower America by bringing people together and engaging them in thoughtful dialogue, leading the way to constructive action."
LAist Goes Green!
LAist stopped by the Go Green Expo today, which has been going on all weekend at the LA Convention Center in Downtown. The Go Green Expo is an opportunity for both business buyers and everyday consumers seeking eco-friendly products & services for their companies, homes, schools and children to see what kind of eco-friendly consumer goods are for sale, or will be soon, and to meet with the many exhibitors showcasing their products. LAist's News Editor Andy Sternberg sent over some pics from the convention floor to share; looks like there's some exiting stuff on the market, and many Los Angeles-based companies who can help steer us towards a greener future.
Book Expo America Descends Upon LA
A bookish extravaganza hits LA this week, as the book industry attends Book Expo America at the Los Angeles Convention Center this Thursday through Sunday. While the expo is for publishers, booksellers, educators, librarians, agents and other industry professionals, (it's not a public event like the LA Times Festival of Books), LA booklovers will benefit from the hundreds of authors that are scheduled to sign their books this week in venues all over town.
Green Living Expo Continues Today
Today is Day 2 of a 2-day visit for the Green Living Expo, taking up residency in the West Hall of the LA Convention Center.
LAist Interview: 'Human Giant' - Season 2 Premieres Tonight @ 11pm on MTV
Human Giant unleashed itself upon an unsuspecting public last year via MTV and the bell just rang for Round 2 - are you ready? There's sketch comedy, there's underground sketch comedy, there's in your face on-the-streets sketch comedy, and then there's Human Giant, a team that presents, in each episode, collections of bits that are more like experimental movies than the sketch comedy we've been seeing for the last 15 years. There's plenty of parody to be sure although none of it is familiar-feeling, "safe", or boring - which is perfect for Human Giant's 11:00pm slot (what, the kids can't handle this at 10:00pm?).
Photo Essay: LA Auto Show
It's cars! It's girls! It's flashing lights! It's...the LA Auto Show! Feel the excitement! The Infinity girls sure are feeling the excitement! This year's show is two weeks earlier than last year's and longer than it's ever been - 12 days (two press days and 10 days open to the public). Unfortunately, the lengthy show seems to have taken it's toll on most of the booth staffs, most of the guys and girls given...
Breaking News - Writers to Strike on Monday
The WGA has just announced that they will go on strike beginning first thing Monday morning. The WGA West is currently holding a press conference and its members are in the midst of being notified. Last night, over 3,000 members of the guild crowded into the Los Angeles Convention Center for a standing room only meeting at which they were told that the negotiating committee was unanimously recommending a strike. A council of the...
Threat of Strike Looms Large
Hollywood remains in a state of flux as it waits to see whether or not writers will trade in their pens in favor of picket signs. The contract between the WGA and the AMPTP expired at midnight last night with little fanfare other than continued antagonistic rhetoric between the two negotiating parties. Discussions yesterday were again fruitless, and mired in the contentious atmosphere that has been a constant since bargaining commenced. The day began...
Abolishing Rent Control in California
This sounds fun... or not: the Apartment Owners Association Convention is this week at the convention center downtown.
E For Some But Not All: A Diary of Gaming Madness
Guitar Hero was in full-effect at E-For-All
Nintendo 101: A Crash Course in Wii
Ninitendo Wii demonstration units at the 2007 E for All Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center Nintendo extended an invitation for a female writer from LAist to meet Perrin Kaplan , VP of Marketing for Nintendo at the E for All Expo. I sent my R.S.V.P. and planned to check out the latest games and technology that Nintendo has to offer. Now I should tell you that I know next to nothing about...
The E For All Halfway Point
Sure, the inaugural E For All doesn't really hold a candle to the bloated spectacle of old E3, but then again, the new low-key Santa Monica-based E3 doesn't hold a candle to the old E3 either.
Did the press not act fast enough on traffic issues?
Brady Westwater at the blog, LA Cowboy, asked some fair questions on his blog yesterday about the former head of the city’s transportation department, who was fired last week: “Why Did The Press TOTALLY Fail Us On The Gloria Jeff Disaster?” After some research, he found that “not a word was ever printed about her past” – if that’s true, Gloria Jeff is in the wrong business. Get this woman to a PR firm...

